The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

[BlackSunrise]

Just watched a show on Netflix called “Churchill’s Secret Agents: The New Recruits” a reality show I recently stumbled across which I found intriguing. Based off the premise of the British World War II, Special Operations Executive (SOE) organization (also referred to under the nickname "The Baker Street Irregulars").

The show puts fourteen modern day men and women whose occupations (and ages) range from prior military service to mathematicians, paralegals, doctors and even a grandmother to see if they have what it takes to become unofficial spies and secret agents in occupied 1940s Europe. Kinda cool because the participants are all dressed in period clothing, utilizing weapons and equipment of the appropriate time while conducting training exercises straight from the British Archives and original SOE training manuals. The participants go through an assessment & selection phase and on to the fundamentals of marksmanship, combat tactics, hand to hand, sabotage/demo, morse code, methods of entry, surveillance, survival skills and interrogations concluding with a full mission profile to test their abilities prior to certification to conduct combat operations. While immersed in the training scenario the contestants are not allowed any modern day conviences such as cell phones or current news events. They receive historic newspapers and reporting of the era only dealing with the German occupation of Europe. The show intermingles various historical vignettes and mission successes and failures the SOE conducted, such as Operation Grouse (a Heavy Water sabotage mission) and Operation Anthropoid (the assassination of senior Nazi leader General Reinhard Heydrich) and the aftermath. [Operation Anthropoid was also made into a stand-alone film and stands on its own merits as a great historical based movie to watch].

It was highly interesting to see the original training formats and how they have since evolved into modern day training and practices currently instructed today. What I also found intriguing was the mindset of these common ordinary people being put through the training and scenarios and how they endured, much of how it must have been for real common day citizens coping with the Nazis in occupied Europe. I enjoyed it and thought it was a good watch; taken with a grain of salt since it is a reality show and understanding that most of these people never fired a weapon or had any professional training (minus a few prior military members). Obviously, some dumb shit occurs that is not tactically sound. However, it was stimulating to watch some of the historical ties that founded the CIA and our SOF heritage.

Even before the United States joined the war, President Franklin D. Roosevelt was concerned about American intelligence deficiencies. On the suggestion of a senior British intelligence officer in the western hemisphere, Roosevelt requested that William J. Donovan draft a plan for an intelligence service based on the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) and Special Operations Executive (SOE). At the time Donovan was the head of the newly formed Office of the Coordinator of Information (COI), when he received technical information from SOE and had arranged for some members of his organization to undergo training by SOE in Canada. The British Security Co-ordination (BSC) trained the first OSS agents in Canada, and also provided information on how the SOE was arranged and managed. In early 1942, Donovan organized what we now know as the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) based off these entities.

In the middle of the war, the relations between SOE and OSS were not often smooth. SOE and OSS missions sets where at several times cross-purposed and often problematic. However, in 1944 SOE and OSS successfully pooled their personnel and resources to mount Operation Jedburgh, providing large scale support to the French Resistance following the Normandy landings.

If interested, check it out…see what you think. Something to take your mind off of COVID-19 for a moment if anything.

[Pete]

A sideline of operations. Eureka-Rebecca were the systems used by the Airborne and Aircraft during D Day.

"The Eureka-Rebecca compromises: another look at special operations security during World War II"

https://go.gale.com/ps/anonymous?id=...6X&p=AONE&sw=w

[BlackSunrise]

Originally Posted by Pete

A sideline of operations. Eureka-Rebecca were the systems used by the Airborne and Aircraft during D Day.

"The Eureka-Rebecca compromises: another look at special operations security during World War II"

https://go.gale.com/ps/anonymous?id=...6X&p=AONE&sw=w

Good share Pete. Yet another way the Germans were able to compromise Allied forces and systems...SAS, OSS, SOE. Ultimately causing the deaths of several if not hundreds of operators. Morse code radio operations also played a large toll in the compromise of missions, known drop zones or locations of friendly forces.

[Flagg]

I’ve been heavily influenced by the OSS Assessment of Men: Selection of Personnel for the Office of Strategic Services

https://mcoepublic.blob.core.usgovcl..._Men_Final.pdf

There’s a fair bit of timeless wisdom in it. I would describe much of it like a classic black tuxedo, still fits like a glove 75+ years later.

It is the single most influential source(beyond human mentors) I have used to develop assessment activities and assess physical, mental, emotional, and social capability and mindset.

[Badger52]

Originally Posted by BlackSunrise

Morse code radio operations also played a large toll in the compromise of missions, known drop zones or locations of friendly forces.

German RDF capability didn't initially get the respect it surely deserved. Those folks & their methods were very, VERY good.

That "senior British intelligence officer" that made the suggestion to FDR was likely William Stephenson, Churchill's go-between to Roosevelt. A good overview of BSC activities that dovetails all this in the period is William Stevenson's "A Man Called Intrepid."

[BlackSunrise]

Originally Posted by Badger52

That "senior British intelligence officer" that made the suggestion to FDR was likely William Stephenson, Churchill's go-between to Roosevelt.

You are 100% correct.

[RCummings]

Great topic, I will look for the show. A book I read and reread is, "SOE Syllabus" ISBN 1-903365-18-X, "Lessons in ungentlemanly warfare, World War II.

V/R

Bob

[BlackSunrise]

Originally Posted by Flagg

I’ve been heavily influenced by the OSS Assessment of Men: Selection of Personnel for the Office of Strategic Services

https://mcoepublic.blob.core.usgovcl..._Men_Final.pdf

There’s a fair bit of timeless wisdom in it. I would describe much of it like a classic black tuxedo, still fits like a glove 75+ years later.

It is the single most influential source(beyond human mentors) I have used to develop assessment activities and assess physical, mental, emotional, and social capability and mindset.

Flagg, thanks for posting this link. I skimmed over the document over coffee this morning, I’ll have to take some time to do a deep dive on it since it is pretty robust. Initial thought looking it over was: I wonder how many guys would make the cut today with these standards still in place? We often discount the wisdom (And standards) of history...unfortunately.

[BlackSunrise]

Originally Posted by RCummings

Great topic, I will look for the show. A book I read and reread is, "SOE Syllabus" ISBN 1-903365-18-X, "Lessons in ungentlemanly warfare, World War II.

V/R

Bob

Very interested in looking this up. Great shares from everybody so far on this thread. Thanks guys.